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London BDS 2011 year in review

2011 was a year that once again, activists, campaigners and people of conscience from all backgrounds and cultures came together to support Palestine and increase awareness of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign called for by Palestinian civil society in 2005.

On a more modest note, public support is overwhelmingly positive and we continue to receive many messages from throughout the world on all our platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. Keep ‘em coming, as all your comments, suggestions and even criticisms are most welcome.

So here are selected highlights of our BDS campaigning, activities and news in the “Hubof Hubs” during 2011 – proving that ‘the resistance is continuous!’

JANUARY

London BDS kicked off the ‘Adidas – Don’t Run with Apartheid’ campaign by staging a protest outside the Adidas shop near Covent Garden and delivered a petition calling for Adidas to cancel its sponsorship of the Jerusalem Marathon.

BDS SUCCESS! Major UK retailer John Lewis confirmed that it no longer sold Ahava products. Its Managing Director, Andy Street, wrote: “As a socially responsible retailer, John Lewis…expect all our suppliers not only to obey the law, but also to respect the rights, interests and well-being of their employees, their communities andthe environment.”

FEBRUARY

London BDS activists were both inside and outside the Professional Beauty trade show at the ExCeL centre explaining to visitors and exhibitors why Ahava is bad for your business.

MARCH

As part of the Don’t Run with Apartheid campaign, activists staged a race inside the Adidas flagship store on Oxford Street on the day of the Jerusalem Marathon. In Rome, activists staged a similar event on the day of the Tel Aviv Marathon.

No Justice, No Peace! People of conscience kept up the pressure when Zionist war criminal Shimon Peres visited London.

BDS SUCCESS! In late March, news broke that the UK’s only Ahava shop would close in September. Activists however vowed to continue their fortnightly picket for another six months until they saw an empty shop.

MAY

BBC: Impartially Partial. London BDS was the first to break the news about how the BBC edited the lyrics “free Palestine” from a rap song broadcast on Radio 1Xtra. This report about BBC censorship went viral and was later picked up by the PSC and the national media.

London BDS spearheaded the highly successful Boycott Israeli Dates London Mosque Tour during the holy month of Ramadan, explaining to both people of faith and non-believers why they should boycott Israeli dates.

NOVEMBER

November saw Zionists going ‘up north’ to plan their attack on London. From their sagging ‘Mini Tent’ in London to their sagging ‘Big Tent’ in Manchester, we reported on the selective admission for a London Zionist conference after a Jewish human rights campaigner was refused admission. As we would later tweet; it’s a #hasbaraFAIL.

BDS SUCCESS!A complaint made by an activist was upheld by the Advertising Standards Agency against the Zionist Jewish Chronicle newspaper for misleading advertising involving an Israeli property company selling homes in an illegal West Bank settlement.

We visited an international travel exhibition at ExCeL and reported that Israel had been kicked out the Middle East and was now in Europe, sandwiched between Romania and the Czech Republic. We also distributed flyers exposing Ahava (one of the exhibitors), as well as outed the camera-shy Israeli security thugs at the Israel pavilion.

During the BDS Day of Action, activists were outside supermarkets in East, West and South London engaging with and encouraging shoppers to boycott Israeli and illegal settlement produce.

THE FUTURE

So what does the future hold? We offer no New Year resolutions or predictions….

But what there will be is a further intensification of the BDS campaign, as well as more and more artists refusing to perform in Israel, the Welcome to Palestine initiative to support, labels to check, along with other activity …

Special thanks to all those who are involved with London BDS, without whom none of this would be possible.

Global BDS Movement.
This website is overseen by the steering committee of the Palestinian BDS National Committee and has been adopted as a tool of the ICNP (International Coordinating Network on Palestine) to support efforts of networking and coordination.

International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN).
A growing international network of Jews whose Jewish identities are not based on Zionism, but on a plurality of histories and experiences who share a commitment to participation in the legacy of struggles against colonization and imperialism.

Jody McIntyre.
Life on Wheels. One man’s journey on the path to revolution…

Karama UK.
The UK arm of Karama, an independent, non-governmental organisation providing aid for women, children and adolescents in the Deheishe Refugee Camp, Bethlehem.

King's College London Palestine Society (Facebook page).
KCL Palestine Society seeks to inform and debate issues around Israel’s occupation of Palestine as well as offer practical support through fundraising and lobbying. It also aspires to introduce Palestinian heritage and culture to the public.

Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR).
LPHR supports Palestinian people in their legal struggle to exercise their right of self-determination. It works, both in the UK and abroad, on legal issues focused on protecting and promoting Palestinian human rights.

smashEDO.
People of conscience against the US-based weapons manufacturer EDO/ITT factory in Brighton.

SOAS Palestine Society.
The Society is dedicated to increasing understanding of the Palestinian people, their culture, their heritage, their rights and their struggle for self-determination among a broad audience.

Stop the JNF Campaign.
An international campaign aimed at ending the Jewish National Fund’s role in Israeli ethnic cleansing, occupation and apartheid.

Stop the War Coalition.
Campaigning to stop the war currently declared by the United States and its allies against ‘terrorism’.

War on Want.
Fights poverty in developing countries in partnership with people affected by globalisation. We campaign for human rights and against the root causes of global poverty, inequality and injustice.

Australians for Palestine.
Seeks to dispel the myths and disinformation about Palestine in Australia by actively engaging with the media, academic institutions, Federal and State Parliaments, governmental bodies, NGOs, and the community at large.

Olympia BDS.
A grassroots network of community members in Olympia, Washington joining the call by Palestinian civil society for a non-violent, global movement of boycott, divestment, and sanctions of Israel.

Open Shuhada Street.
A South African based initiative to raise awareness about the lack of freedom of movement in Hebron and how this issue is a reflection of the greater injustice of the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Palestine Solidarity Committee – Seattle (USA).
Strives to build a local and national movement in solidarity with Palestine. We work to educate the public, the media, and our governmental representatives about Palestine and the role of the US in supporting the Israeli occupation.

Tadamon!
(Arabic for “solidarity”) is a Montreal-based collective which works in solidarity with struggles for self-determination, equality and justice in the ‘Middle East’ and in diaspora communities in Montreal and beyond.

US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
A national coalition of more than 380 groups, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation works to end U.S. support for Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

Writing Rights.
South African-based Centre for Law and Social Justice was formed in 2009 and works as a virtual centre with associates who are activists and activist intellectuals.

Electronic Intifada.
Committed to comprehensive public education on the question of Palestine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the economic, political, legal, and human dimensions of Israel’s 40-year occupation of Palestinian territories.

Indymedia UK.
A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

RUSSELL TRIBUNAL ON PALESTINE

Russell Tribunal on Palestine.
An International People’s Tribunal created by a large group of citizens involved in the promotion of peace and justice in the Middle East

SOLIDARITY WITHIN PALESTINE/ISRAEL

Anarchists Against the Wall.
Direct action group in response to the construction of the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land in the Occupied West Bank. Works in cooperation with Palestinians in a joint popular struggle against the occupation.

Bil'in Village.
A Palestinian village that has been holding weekly demonstrations against occupation and land theft since 2005.

Free Gaza Movement.
A human rights group that organises flotillas to break the siege of Gaza and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation.

Friends of Freedom and Justice – Bil'in.
Bil’in, a small, peaceful village surrounded by hills and valleys, is a Palestinian village that is struggling to exist. It is fighting to safeguard its land, its olive trees, its resources… its liberty…